Hungary in KFOR

The Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) and the Institute for Strategic and Defence Studies (ISDS) held an online conference entitled “Hungary in KFOR” on 3 February 2022. The event started with keynote speeches by Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy of the Ministry of Defence of Hungary, Gergely Németh and Major General Ferenc Kajári, KFOR Commander. The event continued with a roundtable discussion moderated by Zoltán Egeresi, Research Fellow at ISDS. Panelists included Gábor Boldizsár, former UNMIK Liaison Officier and Associate Professor of Faculty of Military Science and Officer Training at University of Public Service, and Ferenc Németh, Research Fellow at IFAT. The conversation centered around the participation of Hungary in KFOR, the lessons learned and the efforts leading to the appointment of the Hungarian commander.

In his opening remarks, Director of IFAT Márton Ugrósdy argued that the stability of Southeast Europe is one of the major security and foreign policy issues that Hungary is facing with. Therefore, it is important to discuss timely topics such as Hungary’s involvement in NATO’s largest peacekeeping operation.

In his keynote speech, Deputy State Secretary Gergely Németh described Hungary’s involvement in KFOR until the nomination of the Commander Kajári. Mr. Németh attributed the Hungarian success to a combination of three factors. He stressed that Hungary has treated the Western Balkans as a long-term national security priority and the country has a committed military role in NATO’s peacekeeping missions worldwide. He also stressed that the Hungarian ambition to take over the leadership of KFOR had been supported by fellow NATO allies, especially Italy.

Major General Ferenc Kajári, KFOR Commander, highlighted the day-to-day operations of KFOR and the main challenges of the past few months. Commander Kajári stressed that the management of KFOR is based on a cooperation and teamwork. Similarly to the Deputy State Secretary, Commander Kajári pointed out that Hungary can serve as an example for other small states in leading peacekeeping operations.

Associate Professor Gábor Boldizsár highlighted the development of peacekeeping operations in Kosovo. Mr. Boldizsár spoke about the uniqueness of KFOR and UNMIK and the tasks that the two missions must fulfil to provide security in the region. He outlined the experiences of the dissolution of Yugoslavia that shaped Hungarian strategic and security thinking on the region and pointed out that stability in the Balkans is also in Hungary’s national interest.

Research Fellow Ferenc Németh agreed with Deputy State Secretary Németh and Commander Kajári that KFOR enjoys broad support from the local communities. However, he pointed out that while Kosovo Albanians identify KFOR with the prospect of NATO-membership and Western support, Kosovo Serbs see the misison as a guarantee for their own security and well-being. KFOR nevertheless possesses a high level of legitimacy among the population and the political leadership. Mr. Németh described this support as an opportunity also from a Hungarian point of view.

All speakers agreed that Hungary’s involvement in KFOR is a success story, and through this active involvement the country can contribute to peace and security in the Western Balkans. This involvement is also beneficial in terms of gaining experience for Hungarian soldiers and raising the profile of the Hungarian Defence Forces.

For the full recording please click on the link below or visit our YouTube-channel!